The Straight Dope Tells All

It's true! For the past twenty-five years, in his books and weekly newspaper column, world-history genius Cecil Adams has been patiently explaining to the Teeming Millions how the world works. He answered questions such as how do porcupines mate, what exactly does Barney Rubble do for a living, and where is Einstein's brain? His answers changed your life. Or at least settled a bet with a loved one. But surely, you are thinking, all the salient facts of the universe have been ascertained by now. Ha! Get a load of the mysteries The Master explores in this landmark volume:

¸ If Teflon is such a nonsticky substance, how do they get it to stick to the pan? ¸ Is the Great Cabal implanting microchips in our brains? ¸ Do fluorescent lights cause cataracts? ¸ What do Scotsmen wear under those kilts? ¸ Can some people extinguish street lamps by force of their bodily emanations? ¸ Is the U.S. Government really hiding alien spaceships?

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I attended the Ohio Renaissance Festival recently. One of the acts was Thom Selectomy, a sword swallower. He invited persons from the audience to inspect his props, the swords. From all appearances the weapons seemed to be authentic. He then proceeded to "swallow" rapiers of varying lengths. Once he ingested two...

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